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Subs stepped up in the ‘Miracle at Manchester’
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Quorey Payne of the Mahoning Valley Thunder flies through the air after breaking a tackle during their June 19 game against the Manchester Wolves at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown.
The Thunder’s receiving corps were decimated by injury, the quarterback doesn’t have a complete grasp of the offense or the rules, but they got the job done.
By JOHN BASSETTI
vindicator sports staff
YOUNGSTOWN — Pro football has had The Drive, The Fumble, The Catch.
Now, it has The Block.
That would be a blocked field goal by Frashon McGee as time expired in the Mahoning Valley Thunder’s 41-39 victory over the Manchester Wolves last Friday.
The losing streak-snapping “Miracle at Manchester” came despite the absence of offensive busybody Quorey Payne and a game-opening injury to wide receiver C.J. Brewer.
Other individuals with key roles were wide receiver Pat Clark and quarterback Tom Zetts.
Zetts ran for a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth period and finished 12 of 24 for 236 yards.
Although Jermaine Moye had five catches for 93 yards and two TDs, Clark caught four passes for 110 yards and a pair of TDs. His final TD reception put the Thunder ahead for good.
McGee, as defensive end, blocked the Wolves’ field goal attempt as time ran out.
Payne hasn’t played lately because of a knee infection and Brewer suffered dislocated fingers returning the opening kickoff.
Assistant coach Jarrod Rogol was responsible for inserting McGee in place of someone else as the Thunder lined up against Manchester kicker Chris Koepplin who was to attempt a 42-yarder with two seconds left.
McGee said that he and noseman Larry Harrison planned a “switch” play.
“He’s supposed to move his guy out of the way and then I twist around him and get my hands up,” McGee said of the play’s design that gave him entry across the line of scrimmage.
McGee said he wasn’t close to Koepplin.
“Since it was kind of far, he had to kick it lower to cover the distance. We knew if we got some push and got our hands up we’d have a chance to block it.”
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound McGee did that with his right hand and teammate Pat Wells jumped on it.
McGee played against the Wolves twice, but not at the Covelli Centre on June 19.
“It seemed like they had the same personnel [both times], but it’s always hard to beat a team a third time. I just think we had their number.”
Clark, a converted defensive back, stepped in as the “S” receiver.
Clark was with the team for the 12th game, then released before the 13th. He re-signed before the Peoria game on July 11, when he saw time as a kick returner and wide receiver and made two tackles on special teams.
Last Friday, the 5-10, 183-pound Clark, a Georgia Tech product and af2 rookie, had a couple big catches, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown reception with 10 seconds left.
Clark also picked up 18 yards on a fourth-and-13 play that kept a drive alive en route to a Mahoning Valley score that pushed the Thunder’s lead to 32-20.
Zetts was playing in his second game after Brad Roach went down in Peoria, but, he was making his first af2 start in Manchester.
Zetts had no idea that Brewer — his primary target who entered the game seven reception yards short of 1,000 — would be lost before the first scrimmage play.
“He grabbed the kickoff off the net and was going up the side when somebody hit him and he landed funny on it,” Zetts said. “We thought he’d be our go-to guy and Moye be our second receiver and Clark to help out. But each guy had to step up. Moye had to be the go-to guy and Clark turned out to be the game-breaker.”
Right off the bat, the players had to adjust to the situation.
“Handling adversity,” Zetts said. “That’s the test of a team.”
Unlike previous games, the Thunder committed only one turnover: an interception thrown by Zetts.
Zetts, however, rectified the mistake with a good play on foot near the goal line.
“We were late getting the play in and we didn’t get set up and we didn’t get the motion going and there was one second left on the play clock, so I just called ‘Hut’ and as soon as I hit my third [in three-step drop] step, I took off. Luckily I had a little hole and made it through.”
The quarterback didn’t want to take a 5-yard penalty, so he figured he’d try to make something happen.
“But I certainly didn’t expect to score,” he said.
Does he feel like a hero?
“No, by no means did I win that game. Pat Clark made great catches, Moye came out on fire and our defense held Manchester to six points in the first half. In arena, that’s incredible. I did my part and played the best I could, but I can’t take any more than that.”
Being new, the former YSU quarterback still has questions about the indoor’s rules, like those governing the Jack linebacker.
“Is he allowed to drop into coverage? Is he allowed to blitz? I’ve got to find out all these little details as they arise,” said Zetts. “I’m learning on the fly, but there’s nothing crazy. It’s still just throwing and catching.”
Coach Chris MacKeown simplified the offense for Zetts and that helped.
“When C.J. went down, that meant we had two receivers who hadn’t gotten many reps all week, especially Kyle Ward,” Zetts said. “So he [MacKeown] had no choice but to keep it simple. I think that helped me, because I’m a new guy, and it helped them.”
bassetti@vindy.com